A graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences at the College of Science is receiving support for his research from a regional nonprofit dedicated to environmental education and restoration.
Brian Brillhart, a master’s student at Marshall University, has been awarded a mini research grant from Appalachian Headwaters, a Lewisburg-based nonprofit focused on ecological restoration and environmental education. The funding will support his thesis research on hybridization between black-capped and Carolina chickadees in West Virginia.
Brillhart’s interest in birds did not begin early in life. After living in West Virginia for nearly a decade, he discovered ornithology through a course at Marshall, an experience that sparked a new academic direction. Today, he studies two of the most familiar songbirds in the region. Although birds are among the most commonly seen and heard wildlife in the state, their interactions, including hybridization between closely related species, can reveal important insights about shifting habitats and climate patterns.
In addition to his research, Brillhart serves as a graduate assistant in Biological Sciences, teaching undergraduate laboratory courses and mentoring students. Outside of academia, he enjoys traveling and exploring activities not easily found in West Virginia, including scuba diving.
Through the mini grant, Brillhart will use Appalachian Headwaters properties to further his field research on chickadees, expanding partnerships between Marshall biology students and community conservation organizations.